Chapter 3

Caesar's POV

I swirled the amber liquid in my glass, watching the lights of the Moonlight Bar refract through the expensive scotch.

Three weeks in Europe securing new territory alliances had left me drained, though I'd never admit that weakness to anyone.

"To the most terrifying Alpha in North America," Jackson raised his glass in a mock toast, his grin wide beneath his beard. "The European packs are still shaking in their boots."

I allowed myself a small smirk. "They should be."

"Always the modest one, Caesar," Daniel chuckled, signaling the bartender for another round.

My inner circle had insisted on this welcome back gathering—Jackson, my head of security—my Gamma; Daniel, my financial advisor; and Marcus, my second-in-command.

They claimed I needed to "unwind," though I suspected they were more interested in the premium liquor my tab provided.

When we discussed pack business, going over territorial expansions and upcoming negotiations with neighboring packs.

Yet something made me scan the distance, an instinct I couldn't ignore. That's when I spotted her—Viya.

My body tensed instantly, every muscle coiling tight as I fought the urge to turn around.

What the hell was she doing here? This wasn't her usual scene—not the proper Luna Wilde I'd watched from afar for the past three years.

"Everything alright, Alpha?" Marcus asked, noticing my sudden alertness.

I gave a curt nod, keeping my back to the room. "Fine."

But it wasn't fine. It hadn't been fine since the day she married that undeserving pup Lucius Wilde. The memory alone made my wolf Olsen snarl with possessive rage.

Through our conversation, I positioned myself to keep her in my peripheral vision. She was with that lawyer friend of hers—Sophia, if I remembered correctly.

They were drinking. A lot. And Viya looked... different.

The perfect, composed mask she'd worn since becoming Luna was cracking, revealing glimpses of the fiery woman I knew existed beneath.

She threw back another shot, her head tilting back to expose the elegant line of her throat. My grip tightened on my glass until I heard the faint crack of impending fracture.

"Alpha Caesar?" Jackson's voice pulled me back. "Did you hear what I said about the Hunter activity near our northern border?"

I forced myself to focus. "Yes. Increase patrols. I'll review the security reports tomorrow."

But my attention kept drifting back to her. Something was wrong.

Viya was drinking like someone trying to forget, her movements becoming increasingly unsteady as the night progressed.

I should leave. This wasn't my problem anymore. I'd made sure of that years ago when I'd pushed her away, for her own good and for mine.

And yet I stayed, unable to tear myself away, watching over her from a distance as I'd done for years.

"Another round?" Daniel asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I'm good," I replied, my voice gruffer than intended.

That's when I felt it—warm hands sliding around my waist from behind, a soft body pressing against my back.The scent of her perfume, sending a shock of desire straight to my core.

"Buy me a drink?" Her voice was a sultry purr that made Olsen howl with want.

I went rigid, shock paralyzing me for a precious second before I turned, moving with supernatural speed that betrayed my control.

Viya stood before me, looking like every dark fantasy I'd ever denied myself. Her crimson dress clung to curves that had haunted my dreams for years.

Her dark hair cascaded in waves past her shoulders, and her brown eyes were hazy with alcohol and something more dangerous—desire.

"Viya?" Her name escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Instead of backing away, she moved closer, pressing those magnificent breasts against my chest. "Don't you want to play with me?" she whispered, her voice sending violent shivers down my spine.

My hands moved of their own accord, gripping her waist. I could feel the heat of her skin through the thin fabric, my fingers digging into soft flesh as I struggled for control.

"You have no fucking idea what you're asking for," I growled, feeling my eyes flash with alpha power as her scent overwhelmed my senses.

She rolled her hips against me, and I nearly lost it right there. My cock hardened instantly, pressing against her belly, betraying my desire despite years of iron control.

"Maybe I do," she challenged, her eyes defiant. "Maybe I've always known exactly what I wanted... daddy."

The word hit me like a bucket of ice water. Daddy. Not Caesar. Not Alpha.

She didn't even recognize me.

Before I could process this revelation, her lips were on mine, hot and demanding. For three glorious seconds, I gave in to the madness, tasting her, claiming her mouth as I'd dreamed of doing for years.

Then reality crashed down. She was drunk. Married. And clearly mistaking me for someone else—perhaps her own fucking husband.

I tore myself away, physically pushing her back. "Viya? What the hell are you doing here? Look carefully at who you're touching!"

She blinked, recognition seemingly dawning on her face. "Alpha Caesar? Oh my God..." She swayed slightly. "I didn't realize it was you."

The pain of that admission cut deeper than any knife. Of course she hadn't realized. I was nothing to her now.

The Alpha she'd once looked up to, before she found her "true mate" in Lucius.

Anger surged through me, masking the hurt. I looked her over with deliberate coldness, taking in her disheveled appearance.

"You shouldn't be in a place like this, especially not in your condition," I said, hating how judgmental I sounded even to my own ears.

Her eyes flashed with sudden fire. "I'm sorry, I must have missed the part where you still had any right to tell me what to do," she snapped. "You gave up that privilege years ago."

Each word hit like a physical blow because they were true. I had given up that right. For her sake.

"You're drunk, Viya. Let me take you home," I offered, trying to salvage some dignity from this disaster.

"I don't have a home anymore!" she cried, tears suddenly glistening in her eyes. "And I certainly don't need your help now after you abandoned me years ago. Where were you when I needed you then?"

People were starting to stare. I could hear the whispers spreading through the bar as patrons recognized us. This wasn't just about us anymore—this was becoming a spectacle that would feed the pack gossip mill for weeks.

I wanted to keep Viya out of this whole situation.

"That's enough," I growled, grabbing her arm firmly. "You're making a spectacle of yourself."

She twisted in my grip, her eyes blazing with hurt and fury. "Let me go! You don't get to act like you care now. You made your feelings perfectly clear years ago—I was just some obligation, some charity case you couldn't wait to be rid of!"

Her words struck too close to the truth I'd constructed to keep us both safe. For a moment, I felt my mask slip, pain flashing across my features before I could lock it down again.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," I said coldly, desperate to end this conversation before I revealed too much. "Go home to your husband, Luna Wilde."

Hearing my words, she wrenched her arm free, stumbling back slightly.

"That's right." she hissed, venom dripping from every word. "You bastard.I hate everything about you."

She turned and stalked back to her friend, then headed for the exit without a backward glance.

I stood frozen, every instinct screaming to go after her, to explain, to claim what had always been mine.

But I remained where I was, watching her walk away—just as I had three years ago at her wedding.

"Should someone go after her?" Marcus asked carefully. "She seemed pretty upset."

"She's a grown woman with her own Alpha," I snapped, though the words tasted bitter. "It's not our concern."

But something nagged at me—the memory I'd been suppressing all night finally broke free, washing over me like acid. That night three years ago.